Hospitals with culinary delights

We walk in and around Colombo city; we step into various shopping malls, and also restaurants to enjoy food and beverages from all parts of the world. Sometimes, we tend to think that those places have been constructed very recently and that is why they look so attractive and modern. Some will tell you or your kids that these are the latest development projects that have been implemented in Colombo city by the Government very recently. Some who do not care about the year, month or date will believe wrong facts without thinking twice. But, we all should learn, remember and respect the true history of our country no matter whether it is the ancient history or the recent past. What matters is live evidence that we can see with our own eyes.

•  Two Dutch hospitals in Sri Lanka are in Colombo and Galle.

 

•  In 2011, the Colombo Dutch Hospital was modernized.

 

•  In 2014, the Galle Dutch Hospital was modernized.

 

•  Both precincts attract a large number of tourists.

 

•  The renovations were carried out by the Urban Development Authority.

 

Colombo Dutch Hospital

It was built as a hospital by the Dutch and has been used for several different purposes over the years. It is believed

to have existed since 1681. The Dutch established the Colombo Hospital to look after the health of the officers and other staff serving under the Dutch East India Company. The hospital’s proximity to the harbour allowed it to serve Dutch seafarers.

The building was the Colombo Fort Police Station from the early 1980s to 1990s, prior to which it housed the Colombo Apothecaries.

The building reflects the 17th century Dutch colonial architecture. The building has five wings forming two courtyards. It is designed to keep out the heat and humidity and provide a comfortable environment within.

Like many Colombo Dutch buildings of the era, the walls are 50 cm thick. The structure features massive teak beams.

The upper floor is located in the front wing and can be reached with a wooded staircase. This upper storey has a wooden floor. A long, open veranda runs along the length of each wing of the building.

Paintings of the front and rear views of the Colombo Hospital were carried out in 1771 by a Dutch artist. These show that the building has changed a little.

In 2011, it has been transformed by the Urban Development Authority into a shopping and dining precinct, where the historic architecture has been preserved under the guidance of then Defence and Urban Development Secretary and the current President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Galle Dutch Hospital

The Old Dutch Hospital, Galle is one of the oldest buildings in the Galle Fort area dating back to the Dutch colonial era in Sri Lanka. Galle is considered as the place where the Portuguese first arrived in Sri Lanka in 1505.

The original hospital was built in the 17th century by the Dutch and was in fact three times larger than the existing building, which now stands on the same site. After the deterioration of the site, when the British took over the occupation of the South coast of Sri Lanka, around 1850, they developed the structure into a military barracks.

In 2014, the building was converted into a shopping and dining precinct, preserving the historic architecture. The renovation and conversion works were carried out by the Urban Development Authority (UDA) with the assistance of the 10th Engineering Services Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army.

Efforts of the UDA under the guidance of then Defence and Urban Development Secretary and the current President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to restore the Dutch Hospital in Galle to a beautiful shopping arcade undoubtedly increased the tourist influx to the Southern capital city of Sri Lanka.